Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly add this former K-State basketball star to NBA roster
Dean Wade is currently the only former Kansas State basketball player in the NBA, but he is about to have company.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin, a 6-foot-10 and 210-pound forward who helped the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight two years ago, has reportedly agreed to sign a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This will be his first stint in the NBA.
The Cavs noticed Tomlin after he put up big numbers in the G League this season. Tomlin has averaged 20.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists while playing in 20 games for the Cleveland Charge. His best game occurred earlier this month when he scored 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Westchester Knicks.
Tomlin will be able to help the Cavs on a short contract as they look to build upon their incredible 44-10 start to the season. Cleveland was tied with Oklahoma City for the best record in the NBA, and 5.5 games up on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings, entering Wednesday.
Wade, who spent four seasons at K-State playing under Bruce Weber, has spent his entire NBA career with Cleveland. He is averaging 6 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench this year.
Tomlin spent parts of two seasons at K-State playing under current head coach Jerome Tang. The Wildcats recruited him out of junior college. He averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds during the 2022-23 season as K-State won 26 games and fell one victory shy of the Final Four.
He was set to build on that experience as a senior, but K-State dismissed him from the team for much-publicized reasons after he was arrested for disorderly conduct in the Manhattan entertainment district known as Aggieville. He finished his college career at Memphis.
But for the next few weeks he will be playing alongside Wade in the NBA.
This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly add this former K-State basketball star to NBA roster."